Abby resisted the urge to swear very loudly as the third black cab in a row drove straight past her with its light off. "Whatever happened to chivalry and stopping to help a lady on her own?" she muttered angrily under her breath.
If she had the vaguest idea where she was, she'd at least know if a night bus came along this road. Glancing at her watch and realising it was past 3am, she didn't rate her chances anyway and had to hope that at least one cab driver would take pity on her.
She'd told herself that she wouldn't get herself into situations like this again, not now that she had a cool, new job working for the government. She made a vow that she would behave responsibly, settle down and not just jump into bed with the first cute guy that showed her a bit of attention. Yet here she was, early hours of the morning in the middle of god only knows where, trying to find her way home after she'd allowed a guy she'd met a couple of days ago buy her a few drinks and then charm her into his bed.
In her defence, this one was in a different class to her previous conquests. She'd noticed him at the zoo three days running, which wasn't particularly unusual in itself since there were often students hanging around at this time of year, but he didn't look like a student. It was his eyes that caught her attention first. A cool blue with a twinkle that spoke of possible mischief beneath the otherwise serious expression he wore. He had a look about him that suggested he was in the army, a fact that usually made Abby recoil in horror, but in his jeans, denim shirt and navy t-shirt he seemed friendly.
On the third day he caught her looking at him and he smiled before taking a visible deep breath and striding over to her. "Hi," he said nervously. "I guess if I had some questions about keeping reptiles as pets, you'd be the person I should speak to?"
For a moment, Abby was distracted by the accent. He had a soft, Irish lilt that somehow seemed to make her feel warm and happy. She couldn't help returning his smile, in spite of the fact she normally disapproved of people keeping reptiles at home. She seemed to spend half her day dealing with pleas for help from parents who had bought their child a 'lizard' and now it was either ill, or taking over their home because it had grown to an unexpectedly large size.
"I'll try to help," she said. "Did you have anything in particular in mind?"
"I was thinking maybe a bearded dragon or something?"
"Good choice. They're pretty docile as long as you don't have two males together and they don't mind being handled. They don't grow that big either."
The man nodded gratefully and thanked Abby for her time. He looked like he was about to leave and Abby felt a sudden urge to keep him talking. "I have some contacts I can get for you if you like? You should only buy from a reputable supplier."
"Thanks... if it's not too much trouble?"
"The details are in the office. Come on, I'll get them for you."
They'd ended up chatting for some time about the best equipment, and it was only when he started to ask if she had any reptiles and what was the most unusual breed she'd come across that she put her guard back up. Her thoughts turned to Rex, the coelurosauruvus she was keeping at home.
"Rare and unusual breeds need more specialised care," she said quickly. "I just don't have the time to look after them properly so I stick to the more common breeds." She tried to read his expression, wondering if he was something to do with Home office and was testing her out. This new job with the government was important to her, and she didn't want to blow it so soon by letting on she was keeping a prehistoric creature at home.
"That makes sense, I suppose. Listen, I have to get going but I'd like to talk more. Can I buy you a drink tomorrow night?" He was writing his mobile number down on a scrap of paper and before she could argue he was pushing it into her hands. When she glanced at the number and the name 'Matt', she realised that they'd been talking for over an hour and she'd not even told him her name.
She found a business card in a desk drawer, crossed out her boss's name and scribbled her own, adding her mobile number to the bottom and gave it to him.
"I'll see you tomorrow then, Abby," he smiled.
And so, the following evening, Abby was sat in the pub talking to Matt. After a couple of drinks the talk moved on from bearded dragons and snakes to more superficial things, and then the inevitable invite to his place 'to see where the best place for a vivarium was'. Abby was no fool, she knew what the invite really was, but she was past caring. They'd barely gone through his front door before his hands and mouth were on her and she willingly went along with it. The sex was good, not the best she'd ever had but she'd certainly had worse, and she came to her senses around 2:30 am when she left him sleeping and made her escape, just like she always did.
"Taxi!" At last, a cab went past with a light on. She waved as if her life depended on it, and thankfully it slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. She was finally heading for the security of home with enough time to catch a few hours sleep and allow herself to push this latest one night stand to the back of her mind.